When Oksana Drahan saw her first Tilda-style dolls, with their bright eyes and rosy cheeks, she fell in love and soon after began crafting them as a hobby. Tilda dolls are whimsical naive characters that utilize charming fabric designs and interesting ribbons, buttons.

Oksana, from  Lviv Oblast, says her first doll was far from perfect, but she quickly mastered the technique. By the third one, she realized that she wanted to design and sew dolls to bring joy to others. As she expanded her knowledge and skills, her hobby turned into a small business, which she named the Creative Workshop Decolad.  

Initially, Oksana had no sense of the market for the dolls and even feared that no one would buy them. To her delight, customers emptied the shelves of her newly-opened shop in just two days. To meet the unexpected demand, Oksana sewed new dolls day and night. About a year later, with her business comfortably established, she had to hire two professional seamstresses to keep up. 

Her business is both exciting and complicated. Each Tilda doll is unique, and the creator has to be extremely enthusiastic, attentive, motivated, and patient while crafting it. She carefully chooses the specific materials and pushes herself to create new designs. It takes her about two days to complete a doll. She has now started to produce toy unicorns, as well, and plans to expand her product line, striving to make toys affordable for everybody.

According to the State Statistic Service of Ukraine, only 30 percent of Ukrainian enterprises, institutions, and organizations are owned or managed by women. To improve business opportunities for women, USAID’s Competitive Economy Program (CEP) supported the launch of the Business Camp for Women (#WomenBizCamp). This entrepreneurship program is changing attitudes and gender stereotypes in the Ukrainian business environment. Women of all ages, and from different sectors and regions, can participate in the Business Camp. 

Oksana decided she wanted to attend after she came across an online call for applications for the camp last summer. 

“I am very creative and enthusiastic about what I do, but I felt a need for more knowledge about marketing, social media management, team-work, building a business development strategy, and financing. During the camp, I practiced all these skills and developed new ideas on how to advance my business,” Oksana explained.

During the intensive five-day camp, Oksana and the other participants learned about the legal and operational aspects of running a business, were introduced to marketing basics, and practiced their negotiating skills. Perhaps more importantly, the camp provided a venue for networking between the participants, allowing them to share their experiences and learn from one another. 

“The Business Camp gave me courage. It motivated me to take chances and risks. I was also able to develop a clear business plan that I continue to follow, which has helped me boost sales,” Oksana explained. “The camp inspired me, and I highly recommend that entrepreneurs take part, as it provides knowledge, opens new opportunities, and builds bridges between participants and mentors,” sums up Oksana.